It Doesn’t Take A Village Series

A group of expectant fathers were in a waiting room, while their wives were in the process of delivering babies. A nurse came in and announced to one man that his wife had just given birth to twins. "That's quite a coincidence" he responded, "I play for the Minnesota Twins!" A few minutes later another nurse came in and announced to another man that he was the father of triplets. "That's amazing," he exclaimed, "I work for the 3M company." At that point, a third man slipped off his chair and laid down on the floor. Somebody asked him if he was feeling ill. "No," he responded, "I happen to work for the 7-Up company."

Many of the greatest joys I have had in my life deal with my family. For the last thirty three years this means my wife and children. I have so many memories that I cherish - especially when the kids were little. There is just something special about the relationship between a parent and a child.

Maybe it is the permanence of the relationship. Friends often times come and go. Even if you have had a friend for many years there is always the chance of an offense that ends that friendship. Marriages are intended by God to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, too often that isn’t the case. There can be things done in a relationship that can end a marriage. Though it is designed to be permanent, it is not guaranteed.

The parent/child relationship, however, can never be severed. It can be strained, but in this lifetime you are given only one mother and father. Nothing can ever change that. And if you have children they will always be your children no matter what happens in life.

The parent/child relationship is permanent. I believe this is why God pictures His relationship with believers this way.

1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, now are we the sons of God” (powerpoint)

Galatians 3:26 – “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (powerpoint)

Galatians 4:6-7 – “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (powerpoint)

Jesus said, in Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (powerpoint)

Matthew 5:16 – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (powerpoint)

***** 1 Corinthians 1:3

Today, in case you haven’t guessed, I want to talk to you about fathers. Really, I want to talk to you about what the Bible has to say about parenting. So this message applies to both the men and the women that are here this morning. (title powerpoint)

Now maybe you are sitting there thinking, “Pastor, I don’t have much of an influence in my children’s lives anymore. They have families of their own, they live far away, or they think they have it all figured out and want me to mind my own business.”

Or maybe you’re here thinking, “I don’t have any children”. So this is going to be one of those parenting messages I have to sit through in May or June. “As a matter of fact, why are you preaching this message at all in the month of September?”

I do not want to address parenting of children who have our DNA. Instead, I want to talk to you about spiritual children. Every one of us who are Christians ought to desire to give birth to spiritual children. While I’m at it, we ought to think about adoption also.

Giving birth to spiritual children means we lead people to understand their need for a Savior and we are used by God as they come to Christ. When I refer to adoption, I am talking about coming alongside those who have placed their faith in Christ but have never matured.

They are like babies that have been birthed and the baby is then abandoned. Who among us would not come along and care for that child? To protect it, nurture it, and teach it what it needs to live a productive life.

Yet there are baby Christians everywhere my friends with no idea how to resist the lures and temptations that this world and the devil offer to render them useless in the cause of Christ. Beloved, we must not stand idly by any longer.

According to a recent study, young men with high self-esteem shared some common childhood influences. There were three major characteristics of their families. (powerpoint)

(1) The high-esteem group was clearly more loved and appreciated at home than the low-esteem group. (powerpoint) (2) The high-esteem group came from homes where parents had been significantly more strict in their approach to discipline. By contrast, the parents of the low-esteem group had created insecurity and dependence through their permissiveness. These children were more likely to feel that the rules were not enforced because no one cared enough to get involved.